MEET
Chanel Dickerson is the CEO and founder of Chief Chanel Dickerson LLC. Chief Chanel empowers young girls and women to overcome limiting beliefs and self-doubt by making self-care a priority. Chief Chanel experienced multifaceted trauma from growing up in an impoverished and violent community. She refused to be a victim and applied her experiences and exposures to dominate her law enforcement career. She advocated for under-resourced communities by helping them recognize and use their voices effectively to better their community. Chief Chanel believes that every woman has the right to have it all.
She started her law enforcement career, as a police cadet, at 17 years old. Early in her career, she was given an ultimatum to terminate her pregnancy or be fired. Chief Chanel persevered and had a rewarding career in the law enforcement field for over 30 years. For the last 18 years of her career, she served in a multitude of managerial and leadership roles to include a significant portion of her career in MPD’s Criminal Investigations Division. Her analytical and investigative skills yielded high closure rates in some of the most critical units throughout the Metropolitan Police Department. Growing up in a community where domestic violence was prevalent, she managed the domestic violence unit with vigor and empathy, focusing on victim & mental health services, community outreach, and education. During her tenure as the Commander of the Youth and Family Services Division, she oversaw the daily operations and investigations involving child abuse and neglect, child sexual abuse and exploitation, juvenile and adult missing person cases, absconded youth, and internet crimes against children.
Chief Chanel also received the 2019 Community Service award from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (N.O.B.L.E.). She was recognized by MPD for her exceptional community service and expertise in juvenile justice relations, along with a host of many other major career accomplishments. Chief Chanel is highly sought after for her expertise in women in leadership, strategies to avoid professional burnout, human trafficking, diversity, equity, & inclusion, and recruiting & retention. She presented at the 125th International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition, NOBLE Summits and Conferences, and Financial Research Association’s Women in Law Enforcement Summits. Chief Chanel has been featured on numerous news and radio shows, including HBO Black and Missing, Joe Clair Morning Show, Roland Martin Show, CNN-Don Lemon Tonight, New York Times, Washington Post, Fox5 DC, NBC News 4, ABC WJLA, WUSA 9 with Bruce Johnson, and many other online, and print publications.
Chief Chanel retired as an Assistant Chief of Police from Washington, DC., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) During most of her stint as an Assistant Chief, Chief Chanel was the highest- ranking female police officer at MPD. Her exemplary leadership skills and dogged work ethic earned her a promotion from Captain to Commander in 8 months.
Under her leadership, a more innovative approach to investigating missing persons’ cases was implemented. Through her dedication and unwavering commitment to the community, Chief Chanel implemented reform measures that produced immediate results and linked various District government resources to benefit the community.
Her efforts sparked much needed dialogue with community members to identify and specifically address why so many vulnerable children were reported missing. She leveraged her position with MPD and her interest in the well-being of District residents to implement positive, lasting change.
Chief Chanel’s hard work and steadfastness has gained her national recognition and significantly contributed to the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department being awarded The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Heroes Special Recognition award. In 2018, she was the proud recipient the 17th Annual Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Award, which honors distinguished DC Government Employees for their outstanding performance and exemplary service.
Chief Chanel is an alumnus of the George Washington University, possessing a bachelor’s degree in Police Science, and a master’s degree in Homeland Security. She also graduated from Major Cities Chiefs Association’s Police Executive Leadership Institute. Chief Chanel is excited about her future endeavors and the endless possibilities of using her expertise and life experiences to inspire girls and women to live their lives authentically.
QUESTIONS? LET’S CHAT.
HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT TO LEARN MORE? BOOK A CALL WITH ME.